Bag opener



C. H. TURPIN Nov. 2, 1965 BAG OPENER Filed Feb. 4, 1964 INVENTOR. /V4P/IESA! 7'UPP//U United States Patent O 3,215,336 BAG OPENER Charles H. 'Iurpin, Nlinneapolis, Minn., assignor to The Pillsbury Company, Minneapolis, Minn. a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 4, 1964, Set. N0. 342,419 4 Claims. (C1. 229-66) This application is a continuation-in-part of an application bearing the same title, filed on November 29, 1963 .and bearing Serial N0. 333,250.

This invention relates to an improved, sift-resistant, easy-opening container.

In the packaging of flour, sugar, coffee, and other finely divided (smaller than 40 mesh, U.S. sieve series) pulverul ent material use is frequently made of a bag, carton or envelope. The nature of the product reequires a sontainer with nearly an airtight closure to prevent sifting or leakage and the nature of the consumer demands that the closure be simply opened. The prior art has disclosed many containers and closures means but none provide the advantages of the invention disclosed herein.

Swift (U.S. 2,000797) discloses a severed tear string capable of being pulled by either end to completely or partly open an envelope. He does not disclose a closure means but merely a method of creating an opening where none existed before and, moreover, bis invention would not prevent sifting or leakage of finely divided material. Levy (U.S. 912,140) and Meadows (US. 824,878) are comparable to Swift. Bach discloses a method of creating an opening, each exposes part of a tear member for accessibility, but neither could be emloyed to provide a siftresistant or leak-proof closure. Saignier (US. 20O5665) Dense et a1. (U.S. 2321066) and Roden (US. 1032026) each disclose a sift-resistant closure capable of being opened a predetermined distance to form a pour spout.

Accordingly, the invention has among its objects, to provide a container having a sift-resistant closure that is easily opened, to provide a container having a sift-resistant closure capable of complete or controlled partial opening, and to provide a closure means that completely seals a slit opening thereby making it sift-resistant to finely divided packaged material, and to provide a method for closing a container having a slit opening, that seals the opening yet is simply opened.

Bach of the objects is fulfilled in the preferred embodiment Which appears in FIGURES 1 through 4. FIGURE 1 shows the bag and closure before folding. FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of FIGURE 1. FIGURE 3 and FIGURE 4 illustrate the folding of the marginal edge ortion, and FIGURE 5 shows a variation in the tear tab which may be employed.

The invention relates to containers that have openings that are or may be reduced to slits er elongated openings Where a portion of the container adjacent one side of the slit is in contact With a portion of the container adjacent the other side. In the case of a bag or carton the opening at the outset may be four sided but, by folding, may be reduced to a slit. Containers of envelope construction, on the other band, require 110 additional folding to reduce the opening to a slit and allow immediate application of the invention.

T0 define the invention, use is made in the specification and claims of the term marginal edge portion. The term refers to the area of the container adjacent the slit opening. The area may vary considerably in width. A

representative example of what i s meant by the t6Im appears in FIGURE 1. There the marginal edge portion includes that part of the container 10 adjacent slit opening 11 bounded by the line 11a-11b and line 18. The invention relates to containers having marginal edge portions substantially in contact.

The invention comprises a container of sheet material having marginal edge portions in contact, a tear member in registration with the slit and extending beyond it o n at least one end, a tape member extending in excess of the full length of the slit, folded about the tear member and continuously adhered to the marginal edge portions. The tape member is adhered to itself in the area that extends beyond the ends of the slit. The tear member may be severed by a cut in the tape member. To prevent s'ifting, that could otherwise occur through the cut or thr ough the gussets if they are not locked in place, the marginal edge portion is folded, the fold being substantially parallel to the slit opening, and the fold is removably secured.

In the preferred embodiment the opening .of bag 10 has been reduced by folding to slit 11. Tear member 12 extends along slit 11 and protrudes beyond the limits 11a and 11b of slit 11 at its ends 12a and 12b. Tape member 13 is equal in length to tear member 12 and is folded about tear member 12 and adhered securely to the marginal edge portions of bag 10 with tear member 12 in registration With slit 11 (see FIGURE 2). Tape member 13 is adhered to itself in the area beyond the limits of slit 11 at 13a and 13b. The area is cross-hatched in FIGURE 1. Cut 14 severs tear member 12 and tape member 13. As can be readily seen, the marginal edge portion of the bag 10 provides a continuous, i.e., uninterrupted support for the tear member 12. It also holds the inward surfaces of the tape member 13 away from one another throughout their entire length. The marginal edge portion of bag 10 is folded on line 17 near the lower limit of tape member 13 (see FIGURE 3). The fold is and must be below the lower limit of cut 14. It is secured by adhering the adjoining surface of tape member 13 to the marginal edge portion of bag 10. Tabs 15 2 and 15b may be formed by cuts 16a and16b and provide an added convenience in opening and insure that tear member 12 severs tape member 13 cleanly at its ends. Guts 16a and 16b do not extend through the 10 Wer extreme of tape member 13, the uncut portion of tap e member 13 being torn as the tab is pulled.

The preferred embodiment as described above is r.e sistant to sifting since slit opening 11 is cornpletely sealed by tape member 13. N0 leakage can occur through c ut 14 because fold 17, below the lower limit of cut 14, serves as a restriction in the assage of the packaged finely divided material from the enclosed volurne through cut 14.

The container is simply opened by removing fold 17. Tear member 12 is then ripped from tab 12b 10 .cut 14 by pulling upward on tab 15b thereby forming a po.ur spout. As an alternative, bag 10 may be completely opened by ripping tear member 12 from 12a to cut 14 as well as from 12b to cut 14.

Bag 10 may be comprised of any suitable sheet material impervious to the finely divided material contained in it. In the preferred embodiment a sheet of fifty p.ound and a sheet of forty pound bleached kraft paper duplexed comprise the sheet material from which the bag is formed. A non-heat sealable, greaseproof inner ply such as glassine (20-25 pound) may be used to package a greasy product such as a cake mix. Other sheet material that may -be used includes foil, polyethylene, and any other material capable cf. being formed into a bag or envelope, having marginal edge portions in contact that is impervious to the finely divided packaged material.

Tear member 12 may be comprised of any suitable string or may be a tear tape. The preferred tear member is four ends of rayon thread laminated side by side t reduce the thickness to a minimum. The tear member must be in registration with the slit opening and must extend beyond the slit 011 at least one end.

Tape rnember 13 must be severable by tear member 12 and must be of sufiicient Width to cover the marginal edge portions to a depth that provides a sufi1cient area to efficiently adhere the tape mernber to the marginal edge portions of the bag. The width may vary considerably depending upon the type of adhesive used. Tape member 13 must extend beyond the ends of slit opening 11 and must be adhered t o the marginal edge portion and to itself in the area beyond the ends cf the slit opening. Sixty pound blended kraft paper is used in the preferred embodiment.

Many aclherents are suitable for adhering the tape memher to the marginal edge portions as one skilled in the art will readily recognize. Twenty two and one-half pound polyethylene lining the tape member and heat sealed is used in the preferred embodiment.

The marginal edge portion is folded on a line substantially parallel to slit opening 11 and below the lower limit of cut 14. The fold serves to restrict the passage of the packaged material cut of the bag through cut 14. Where a four sided opening is reduced to a slit opening and the invention applied, the fold serves to lock the gussets in place, which is desirable to prevent sifting. Any means for removably securing the fold may be used as long as 4 the fold is removable without disrupting the placement of tape member 13. In the preferred embodiment a quicksetting emulsion adhesive is used (example: Fuller 1554). Caution must be exercised in securing the fold with adhesive to be sure that the bond between tape member 13 y andthe marginal edge portion fails (as the fold is opened) before the band between tape member 13 and the area of the marginal edge portion above line 130 (see FIGURE 2) fails. Stated another way, fold 17 must be removable .without disrupting the placement of tape member 13 around slit opening 11 and tear member 12. In addition, cantion must be exercised in the placement of the adhesive to insure that it is limited to the tape member tape member 13. This is true because any good adhesive will pull fiber When the bond between fibrous material supplied by it is ruptured. If ber is pulled in the area 0f the marginal edge portion about fold 17 (because the adhesive is not limited to tape member 13), the fibers directly under tape mernber 13 will pull, once having started in the area about fold 17. The placement of tape mernber 13 will be disrupted and the bag will not open as intended.

If desired, an additional fold at the lower limit 18 of the marginal edge portion may be made (see FIGURE 4).

The seeond fold is unnecessary, however, and only serves to eliminate the projection of the marginal edge portion that would exist in its absence. If it is used, caution must be exercised to restrict the placement of adhesive 19 to tape member 13 to avoid the fiber pulling roblem described above in connection with fold 17.

Various tabs may be used and one variation is shown in FIGURE 5. The tab serves to make the initial severing 0f the tape member by the tear me'mber more convenient. They may be eliminated without departing from the invention but th e i r eli r r rination requires that greater carefulness be exercised in the initial tearing of the tape member to insure that a tear is initially made directly the tear member.

If desired, cut 14 may be eliminated without departing from the invention. Tear mernber 12 may obviously be pnlled only partly along the slit opening 11 to form a pour spout identical to that formed with the aid of cut 14. In the absence of such a cut, fold 17 is required t0 lock the gussets of the bag in plaoe.

I claim:

1. An improved, sift-resistant, easy-opening container comprising:

(a) a container body formed from sheet material to define an enclosed volume and an elongated opening defined by 0ontiguous abutting marginal edge portions of said sheet material;

(b) a tear member in registration With said slit opening extending the full length thereof and extending beyond at least one end of said opening;

(c) a tape member folded about said tear member and adhered to said marginal edge portions and to itself in the area beyond each end of said elongated opening; the oontiguous abutting marginal edge portions defining a continuous supporting edge for the tear member in contact With the tear member throughout the entire length 0f said edge, the marginal edge portions of the sheet material filling the entire area beneath the tape and supporting the inward surfaces of the tape away from one another;

(d) said tape member and tear member being severed by a cut within the limits of said elongated 0pening;

(e) said oontiguous marginal edge portions having a fold substantially parallel to said elongated opening and outside the limit of said cut;

(f) means for removably securing said fold;

(g) and finely divided material within said closed body.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein said tear member extends beyond both ends -of said opening.

3. The container of claim 1 wherein said means for removably securing said fold comprise an adhesive in contact with said tape member and the adjoining marginal edge portion only.

4. An improved, sift-resistant, easy-opening container comprising:

(a) a Container body formed from sheet material to define an enclosed volurne and an elongated opening defined by contiguous abutting marginal edge portions of said sheet material;

(b) a tear member in registration with said opening, extending the full length thereof and beyond both ends of said opening;

(c) a tape member folded about said tear member and adhered to said marginal edge portions and to itself in the area beyond each end 0f said opening; the contiguous abutting marginal edge portions defining a continuous supporting edge for the tear member in contact with the tear member throughout the entire length of said edge, the marginal edge portions of the sheet material filling the entire area beneath the tape and supporting the inward surfaces of the tape away from one another;

(d) said tape member and said tear member being severed by a cut within the limits of said opening;

(e) said tape member being severed by a cut substantially perpendicular to said opening in each area of said tape member beyond each end of said opening to thereby form two starting tabs;

(f) said contiguous marginal edge portions having a first fold substantially parallel to said opening outside the limit of said cut, and a second fold substantially parallel to said first fold at the lower limit cf said contiguous marginal edge portions;

(g) said second fold being removably secured by adhesive in contact with the exposed Side 0f said tape member and said sheet material only;

5 6 (h) and finely divided material Wit=hin said enclosed References Cited by the Applicant Volume' UNITED STATES PATENTS References Cited by the Examiner i 25 22:

y Enge UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 2517801 8/50 Roush. 2246,596 6/41 Moore 22962 2,622986 12/52 Snyder et al 206 56 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner. 2923457 2/60 Gerard 22966 FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner. 

1. AN IMPROVED, SIFT-RESISTANT, EASY-OPENING CONTAINER COMPRISING: (A) A CONTAINER BODY FORMED FROM SHEET MATERIAL TO DEFINE AN ENCLOSED VOLUME AND AN ELONGATED OPENING DEFINED BY CONTIGUOUS ABUTTING MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL; (B) A TEAR MEMBER IN REGISTRATION WITH SAID SLIT OPENING EXTENDING THE FULL LENGTH THEREOF AND EXTENDING BEYOND AT LEAST ONE END OF SAID OPENING; (C) A TAPE MEMBER FOLDED ABOUT SAID TEAR MEMBER AND ADHERED TO SAID MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS AND TO ITSELF IN THE AREA BEYOND EACH END OF SAID ELONGATED OPENING; THE CONTIGUOUS ABUTTING MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS DEFINING A CONTINUOUS SUPPORTING EDGE FOR THE TEAR MEMBER IN CONTACT WITH THE TEAR MEMBER THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF SAID EDGE, THE MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS OF THE SHEET MATERIAL FILLING THE ENTIRE AREA BENEATH THE TAPE AND SUPPORTING THE INWARD SURFACES OF THE TAPE AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER; (D) SAID TAPE MEMBER AND TEAR MEMBER BEING SEVERED BY A CUT WITHIN THE LIMITS OF SAID ELONGATED OPENING; (E) SAID CONTIGUOUS MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS HAVING A FOLD SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID ELONGATED OPENING AND OUTSIDE THE LIMIT OF SAID CUT; (F) MEANS FOR REMOVABLY SECURING SAID FOLD; (G) AND FINELY DIVIDED MATERIAL WITHIN SAID CLOSED BODY. 